There were two significant developments late Thursday in the case of Marlise Muñoz, the 33-year-old pregnant paramedic being kept alive by doctors at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth against her husband’s wishes.

First, Judge Melody Wilkinson has recused herself from the case stemming from the lawsuit filed earlier this week by Erick Muñoz, who, along with Marlise’s family, wants doctors to remove her from life support. Doctors say they can’t because it’s a violation of a state law that prohibits them from r...